STORY: Palestinians struggle to return home in northern Gaza Strip
SHOOTING TIME: April 14, 2024
DATELINE: April 17, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:00
LOCATION: GAZA, Palestine
CATEGORY: MILITARY/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of displaced Palestinians at Al-Rashid Road, west of Gaza City
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): Gaza resident
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): EMAN AHMED, Gaza resident
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): NAHED ABU HARBEED, Local reporter
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): Gaza resident
6. various of destroyed houses in the Gaza Strip

STORYLINE:

Keen to return to their homes, displaced Palestinians have been endeavoring to move back to the northern Gaza Strip, despite all kinds of risks.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): Gaza resident
"I have nowhere else to go except home. I have no one to rely on. As you can see, I have difficulty walking."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): EMAN AHMED, Gaza resident
"I heard today that we have been allowed to return to the northern Gaza Strip. I want to go home with my cats.
Many people were able to return to their homes in the north after receiving letters from the Israeli army stating that women and children up to 14 years old could return. That's what people are saying here. There are many people here who are eager to return to their homes.
We miss our home so much that my son and I are just willing to return home, whatever the risks."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): NAHED ABU HARBEED, Local reporter
"This time, we've decided to risk returning to Gaza to expose the crimes of the Israeli occupation there. We hope to get there safely, but we've heard reports of shells, rockets, and explosions. We don't know what the future holds for us.
I lost my family and my home in this war. Only two of my brothers remain. I have nothing else left. I want to return to inspect what remains in my destroyed house, and to witness the extent of the destruction in my neighborhood and workplace."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): Gaza resident
"It's impossible for me to leave my house. I will return to my home, even if it lies in ruins. I will set up a tent over the rubble and live in it."

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced Tuesday that the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 33,843.
   
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Gaza, Palestine.
(XHTV)